Method and apparatus for steeping coffee, tea, and the like



Dec. 14, 1937. T. M. WALSH 2,102,244

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STEEPING COFFEE, TEA, AND THE LIKE Filed July 5, 1936 INVENTOR,

Patented Dec. 14, 1937 UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE METHOD AND APPARATUS FORy STEEPING COFFEE, TEA, AND` THE LIKE Y o Thomas M. Walsh, East oranga'N. J.v

Application July 3, 1936, Serial No.Y 88,771

2 Claims.

My present invention relates generally to the art of making infusions, and has particular reference to an improved method and apparatus for steeping coffee, tea, and the like.

, While I have herein illustrated and shall hereinafter describe my invention as it may be applied to the steeping of coffee, it is to be understood that certain phases of my invention have a wider applicability. Accordingly, the term coffee, as used herein and in the appended claims, is intended to include within its signifi- Y canoe such materials as tea and the like; and the term water, as used herein and in the appended claims, is similarly intended to include within 5 its significance any liquid in which a material is to be steeped. y

It is a generally accepted belief that a coffee or tea infusion is of maximum palatability when the coffee or tea entering into the infusion is 20 fresh. 'I'he term "fresh generally signifies that the material still retains a substantial amount of the aromatic oils and other volatile ingredients which impart the well known aroma.

In the case of coifee, a heat treatment, usually 25'referred to as roasting, serves to release this aroma, and efforts are continuously made to retain the roasted coii'ee, before use, under conditions which will retain this aroma. If materials such as coffee and tea are heated immediately .30 before an infusion is made, a similar release of Varomatic ingredients takes place. I have found this to be true even in the case of coffee which is not entirely fresh. Accordingly, the quality and f palatability of an 'infusion may be noticeably 35 enhanced by preliminarily heating the coffee, tea, or other material immediately before it is steeped in a liquid such as water. Y

MyV present invention resides in the provision of a method and means for accomplishing thisV 40 objective; and in accordance with my invention,

a measured quantity of coffee and the like is simultaneously heated with a corresponding measured quantity of water or the like, and the heated water is applied to the heated or roasted" 45 coffee at the instant when the release of aromatic ingredients is at its'maximum.v

In the apparatus which I prefer to employ, I provide a vessel for water, a vessel for the coffee to be steeped, a means whereby heating of the water will simultaneously heat the coffee sufciently to roast the latter and release its'aroma, and an automatically operable delayed means for introducing the water into the coffee vessel only and immediately after the coffee has been roasted.

" '55 I achieve the foregoing objects, and such other objects'as may hereinafter appearor be pointed out, in thernannerfillustratively exemplified in the accompanying drawing, whereinv Figure 1 is an'elevational cross-sectional'vie through a device embodying' the features of my present invention;

Figure 2is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line2-2 ofFigure 1;

Figure 3 is a top view of the device; and

Figure 4 is an enlargedl cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 4 4 of Figure 1.

In the embodimentwhich I have chosen for illustration, an outer vessel Il! is providedwith a substantially circular and' substantially atj bot,- tom wall II, .and anV upper, exteriorly threaded Y neck I 2.-'Thisvessel may be composed of any handle byy Vmeans of which the entiredevice may be grasped, transported from place to place, and tipped for purposes of pouring.` A lid I8, preferably of glass, is hingedly connected, as at "I9,

to the portion I6. v

An inner vessel 2D is removably insertable into the Outer vessel I0, and is provided Vwith theunperforated bottom. wall 2l and the pouring spout or lip 22 at Vits upperV end.l The bottom wall, while shown substantially plane, may be ribbed .or providedY with annularcorrugations to increase its surface area. The inner vessel 2D is preferably of substantially cylindrical cross-section'and may be composed ofv glass or the like. It has a shouldered portion 23 which is adapted to rest upon the upper portion of the neck I2, thereby assuring a proper relationship ofthe two vessels when the device is assembled. Immediately below the shoulder 23, the inner vessel '2D Vis adapted to t snugly into, the neck I2, so

' that it constitutes aseal for the outer vessel I0.

Immediately above the shoulder y23, the inner vessel 20 is shaped to t snugly within the sleeve portion I5. To assure a proper disposition of the parts, the portion l5 is preferably provided with the rib 24, and the vessel 20 is provided with the corresponding depressed portion 25.

Formed as an integral part of the inner vessel 20 is a pipe 26 whose upper or outlet end 2'I communicates with the upper portion of the inner vessel 20, and Whose lower or inlet end 28 communicates with the lower portion of the outer vessel II). For a purpose presently to be described, thelower end 28 of the pipe 26 preferably termina-tes a slight distance above the level of the bottom wall 2|.

'I'hough not essential,

it is preferable` to mount a strainer 29 in removable manner acrossV the upper portion of the' innerk vessel. 'T'II'his have a handle 30; and it should have a lug or recess 3| which fits snugly.'aroundltheaupper end of the pipe 26. 20 Upon observing Figure 3, it will be noted that :the lid I8 preferably does not-,seal--the spout22.

"When the deviceis used, a-measu-redfquantity Y of coffee is placed into-the inner -vesse1- 20-fand .--rests upon -the-'bottom-wallZIs as indicated by 2if-the reference 1 numeral 32. corresponding measured quantity of water-isplaced into the outer -vessel- 'I I). The 'twof vessels are tassembled into therelationshipfshoWn-in 'Figure l,Y and the device -is placedupon; af'stoveor similar source 30- ofheat.4 The neat-thusxappliedto the-bottom e.. 40 r it exerts a downward' pressureupon vthe `water I3A and; propels the .latter .upwardlyl through Athe 'i pipe 26 into the upperportion of the inner vessel 20. This propulsion of water ,continues-'in a steady stream;pouringtdownz'uponthec'offe'e 32,

i5 'until the level Vvoi?.:watenz-inthe `outer-vessel `I0 reaches-*the lowerr end-121i-- of thepipe26. After pthistime; any'furtherfgeneration of steam vfimls a ready escapethroughstheipipe"26,into the upper portion of"thexfinner vessel "20,-and out 50 "through-.the spout-.22. "Theflatterfthus serves as a safety .outlet-for the steam.

:'After. the measured'- quantity of heated water has poured 'downwardly 1 onto 'the measured quantity of roasted coffee, vthe-infusion*:takes I Dai-place, and the "released aromal-'of-the coffee, due

vto its preliminary roasting, results in the producti'on`of a beverage of highly desirablequality and -palatability This beverage' may be poured, as desired, from the spout' 22; and'iny the meantime it is kept heated by the'water'surrounding" the bottom portion of the inner rvessel below the level of the inlet end`28 of the pipe 26.V

I am well awareA of prior devices of various r65 characters involving the `propulsion of water from one vessel to anotherby the vgeneration of steam. I believe I am thefirst, however, to provide a device in which l'the parts are so arranged that Vthe coffeel is preliminarily and au- 170 tomatically subjectedto a heat treatment sufficient to roast the coffee and to release "its aroma. 'This desirable. resultis accomplished by my pres- `ent device'because'cf theclose proximity of the bottommwalls II- 'and 2 I. The" spacebetween i: 75s' these Ywalls should-be.: as small as-.-possil:llel and 1y useful.

-a ktop hinged thereto and covering. the inner Wessel.

the result is that the heat applied to the bottom wall II is transmitted with great efficiency to and through the bottom wall 2|, thereby heating the coffee to the extent necessary to release its aromatic ingredients. 5

The present desirable result is attributable also to the arrangement of parts whereby the union of the water and the coffee is automatically. delayed until both thewater andthe coffee have been preliminarily heated. vWhat actuall0 ly happens is that the heated water (in predetermined measured quantity) pours down upon the `measured quantity of coffee while the latter is '.-sstill being continuously subjected to the roaststrainer may consist of a disc"'of'--metal,'` glass,

or the like, having perforationstherein. .-.It...may

ing process. 'As a result, the water meets the 15 coffeeat atime when the release of aromatic ingredients is at its maximum; and the result- .ant beverage is, therefore, of unusually desirable ,A quality.

"While my device is not intended for use with rfstale coffee, it has the unusual- .capability of releasing even `from stale coffee,;fat'suilicient amount of residual` aroma to make apalatable infusion. This'. is a desirable characteristic lof the present device', permitting it 'to be universal- 20 Also, by virtue offthe fact-that the devicerelleases thelatentaromatic ingredients offthe coffee,Y I have'found that. a Ylesser amount of coffeemay generally be used toLproduce a given quantity of beverage.

Since ythere are innumerablerways in .which the coffee vessel andztheiwater vessel may-be constructed,y arranged, and assembled, I do not consider my inventionl tol-be limited tothe spe- 3 cie structural details of the embodiment-herein illustrated. f

TIn-gen`eral,l itwill beunderstood that changes in the details, hereindescribed .and'illustrated for the purpose of: explaining the :nature of invention, may bemade bythoseskilled inthe artwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the inventiorras expressed in the appended claims.y Itgis; therefore, intended that' these detailsbe kinterpreted as illustrative, and notir a limiting sense.

Having thus describedy my invention, and illustrated its use, what I claim as newand desire to secure'by Letters Patent is- 1. In a device for 'steeping coffee, 'an outer .vesf-" 50 sel having an upper neck and adapted to contain I water, an

inner vessel removably insertable through said neck .and having a peripheral shoulder seated thereon and in sealing relation H with said neck, said inner vessel having an un' 5'0 "perforatedbottom wall adapted towreceive the coffee to be steeped, a-pipeiextending from` the upper portion of the inner-vessel to the lower portion of the outer vessel, whereby-steam generated -in the latterwill force heated water-up() i throughr thepipe'jinto the inner vessel and onto said coffee, the bottom` wall tof Vthe inner vessel -being arranged in close proximity -to :the bottom `wall of the outer VesseLso vthat the `heat applied f tothe bottom kwall of .the outer fvesself togenerat said steam will simultaneously effect. aV preliminary roasting of said coffee, and ahandle structure embracing and attached to the neck and-having -ff 2. In a device for steeping coffee, an outer ves-A Y sel having an .upper-neck and adapted to contain f water, y an f inner vessel removably insertable through said neck -and having .-a. peripheral shoulder seatedtnereon andin .sealing relations-,H5

with said neck, said inner vessel having an unperforated bottom Wall adapted to receive the coffee to be steeped, a pipe extending from the upper portion of the inner vessel to the lower portion of the outer vessel, whereby steam generated in the latter will force heated Water up through the pipe into the inner vessel and onto said coiee, the bottom Wall of the inner vessel being arranged in close proximity to the bot- 10 tom Wall of the outer vessel, so that the heat ap- 

